Intensive Home-Based Family Support: Child Family Community Australia (CFCA) releases a series of resources designed to support workers in intensive home-based family support programs. Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Meeting children’s needs when the family environment isn’t always "good enough": "This paper provides a theoretical basis to using a systems approach to working with vulnerable and high-risk families where children’s needs are generally being met, but where parenting is at times not "good enough" or even unsafe." Debbie Scott, Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Libs promise not to means-test childcare rebate: "The Coalition has pledged not to means-test the childcare rebate, in a move aimed at blunting a Labor campaign to raise fears among parents that childcare payments will be pared back. " Patricia Karvelas, The Australian.

Pork-barrelling over if we’re to sow prosperity: "Policy change in the public interest seems to have become more difficult as interest groups have become increasingly active and sophisticated in bringing financial weight to account in influencing policy decisions. When asked to accept private losses in pursuit of improved economic performance, the response has been ferocious partisan reaction." Ross Garnaut, Sydney Morning Herald.

Salvos fired at charities: "As the Coalition gears up for government in September, and amidst the eagerness to reduce budget deficits, it was only a matter of time before the social sector was in the sights of small government apologists. Four major accusations are being used to question the funding of the social sector. These shots are wide of the mark, and deserve a critical response." Dale Renner, On Line Opinion.

WA – Millions allocated to reduce risk of homelessness: "The Federal and State Governments have allocated $29 million to increase support for West Australians at risk of homelessness." ABC.

Disability and technology – No more neural divide: "Revising the design and etiquette of workplaces is enough to make them acceptable to some people who think differently from the norm – but ending the exclusion of those with more disabling conditions will, among other things, mean developing better technology." New Scientist.

NSW – Mental illness rethink urged: "A NSW parliamentary report will today recommend changes to laws governing the involuntary treatment of those with mental illness, following the killing of two people by a Sydney man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. " Dan Box, The Australian.

Where’s the charity in selling a ripped blanket for $50? "Charity op-shops are charging such high prices for used household items that those in need would save money by buying them from major retail stores." Neil Keene and Naomi White, The Daily Telegraph.

UK – Helping cash-in-hand businesses to become legitimate: "Currently, if you’re caught working cash-in-hand you are punished, particularly through the benefits system. But through Community Links’ work in Newham and in our research, we know that this just plunges people further into crisis." Maeve McGoldrick, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Can you be fat and happy? "There is so much emotion and heat around this issue. You see it on the cringemaking clips of crying contestants on The Biggest Loser, you see it in the bottomless comment threads on any story about fat-shaming and obesity. We saw it last night on SBS’s Insight, in an episode called Fat Fighters that directly – and provocatively – addressed the idea of fat acceptance." Lucy Clark, The Hoopla.

Shortage of workers may put DisabilityCare at risk: "Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council chief executive Rod Cooke said there was a critical shortfall of training opportunities for workers entering the disability sector." Rachel Browne, Sydney Morning Herald.

Time for personal, private interests to take some pain: Garnaut: "Australia’s two decades of economic prosperity, which may be unprecedented in any developed nation’s history, has entrenched a political culture ill-equipped to cope with a coming post-boom downturn, according to ­prominent economist Ross Garnaut." Jacob Greber, Australian Financial Review.

Garnaut tells of hard change coming: "The long period of prosperity has provided a congenial environment for the entrenchment of a new political culture that elevates private over public interests and the immediate over the longer term," says, Ross Garnaut. Laura Tingle, Australian Financial Review.

Rude awakening after long boom: "The public will be shocked because it lives under the delusion that things are tough already when, in fact, much tougher times are coming. A successful transition will need a new reform agenda and that can emerge only from leaders pledged to change the political culture of the past decade." Paul Kelly, The Australian.

Where should our welfare go? "Why should our middle class expect payments that make little difference to their lives, while the people who need it most receive reduced and inadequate welfare?" Ali Winters, The Drum.

Alarm over asylum underclass: "A new underclass of 100,000 asylum seekers, living on as little as $220 a week and with no rights to work, could be created in just five years if current trends continue." Bianca Hall, Sydney Morning Herald.

Children a private and public good: "One of the most intriguing aspects of the abolition of the Baby Bonus has been the high level of public support for the measure. Surely, one may argue, there is nothing more important for any society than providing assistance so the next generation may come into the world." Greg Melleuish, The Australian.

Support groups call for more help for children caring for mentally ill parents: "While more than 2.5 million Australians care for someone with a mental illness, what is not widely known is that many of those are children caring for their parents."Sophie Scott and Gillian Bennett, ABC.

Injustice and bigotry barriers to equality: The Australian Human Rights Commission reports on "how people with a disability face problems accessing justice; whether it’s to report a crime, give evidence in court, be a witness, or get support within the complex and sometimes adversarial criminal justice system." Vanessa Mills, ABC.

Gambling ads as bad as tobacco ads: "Public health advocates have called for a ban on all gambling ads because of the harm they cause and because they target teenagers in their attempts to get people hooked." Michael Vincent, Lateline, ABC.

Wonga is watching you … how payday lenders follow your online trail: "We know that as we browse the internet, we leave behind a trail. Search results reflect our browsing history; usernames and passwords are remembered on long-forgotten websites; and personalised adverts increasingly seem to follow us around." Joe Deville, The Conversation.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates says rich should pay more taxes: "The world’s richest man has had a busy day in Canberra, lobbying Prime Minister Julia Gillard to stay committed to foreign aid, meeting the Opposition Leader and speaking at the National Press Club. " 7:30 ABC.

“Nudging” people to give could generate tens of millions for charity – new report: "Simply reminding people making out their Will that many others choose to leave a legacy to charity or including a photograph in an appeal can double or treble the numbers of people giving." Charities Aid Foundation.

Still the lucky country, but some work too many hours: "Australia has scored the unofficial title of the best address on Earth for the third year running in an OECD survey of what constitutes good living." Peter Martin, Sydney Morning Herald.

Abuse cover-ups perpetuated priestly mystique: "Celibacy has become an instrument of power, the badge of an elite clerical caste, rather than what its defenders claim it to be: a total dedication of one’s life to building the Kingdom of God." Ray Cassin, Eureka Street.

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Catholic Social Services Australia represents a national network of 52 Catholic social service organisations that provide direct support to hundreds of thousands of people in need each year on behalf of the Catholic Church. Our agencies provide a diverse range of support from assisting women and children escaping family violence, housing and homelessness support, to mental health and disability services. They also work in partnership with Indigenous people, and offer support and services to people seeking asylum and those who are refugees.